By Amin Kef Sesay
The National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd) is a thriving company that is not basking on its successes which it has consciously earned over the years or resting on its oars, to degenerate into complacency with regards the importation and marketing of various high grade petroleum products in the country. Rather, the company is well positioned and very well determined to positively turn around the petroleum landscape in a more positive and well mapped out direction to create a congenial situation that will be very beneficial to its numerous customers.
Renowned for 1st for Customer Care, this leading petroleum company has been rolling out sound entrepreneurial initiatives that are well thought out and all geared towards availing utmost satisfaction and creating the feeling amongst customers that their interests are considerably taken into consideration by the shareholders and Management of the company.
It was against such a backdrop that the safety of customers was highly prioritized as factored into cautioning them that whenever they are purchasing fuel at the company’s Filling Stations they should not spark any naked flame, advised to switch off their mobile phones at Filling Stations, switch off vehicle engines while procuring fuel is being pumped among others admonitions. All these precautionary advices are done within the context of protecting their customers from any injurious incident that could be disastrous for the customers and the company.
Indeed, it is worthy of note that to keep abreast with modern trends, the shareholders and Management of the company thought it advantageous to install calibrated pumping machines at its various Filling Stations. These state of the art pumping machines are highly capable of displaying the exact quantity of fuel that a particular customer requests for as well as the price. If customers have expressed satisfaction with the high precision output of these machines it is simply because they give them the impression that transactions are really or truly transparent.
The petroleum marketing company stands tall within the business landscape of this country for effective and efficient implementation of the country’s Local Content Policy. This is a policy that puts premium on making use of local human and material resources in the chain of production and service delivery. Unless where there is no local option it will become preferable to make use of foreign alternatives. In the light of the company’s preferential decision to offer jobs primarily to Sierra Leoneans as long as they have the requisite qualifications such a strictly adhered-to policy has greatly helped in the reduction of unemployment and availing the beneficiaries the opportunity to live improved standards of living. Indeed, the company has been widely commended for doing so.
With the introduction of NP Smart Card, the process of purchasing fuel at NP Filling Stations has been made simple eliminating the use of physical cash. As long as the Smart Card has money in it, a particular customer can access a Filling Station, put in for the quantity of fuel required and when factored in the pumping machine the right quantity demanded for is then discharged with any balance remaining which could be used at a later date when another purchase is required to be made. The greatest benefit is that it creates the possiblity for a customer to properly budget for the amount of fuel that he or she intends to purchase over time, say for a week or a month. Besides, the use of NP Smart Card guarantees security for the holders as it has securitized features that cannot be easily falsified by any impostor or fraudster.
Many whom this medium interviewed recently in relation to the operations of NP-SL Ltd expressed the view that the company’s manufactured cooking gadget, known as NP Gas is a must to possess in terms of high speed performance. Besides, they opined that they find it safe to make use it as opposed to relying on wood or charcoal on the basis that NP Gas produces less hazardous gaseous emission that could be inimical to the health of individuals. The product, it was reliably learnt, is easily refilled with gas that could be secured at any of the company’s Filling Stations and are manufactured in different cylinder sizes. Most of those talked with have recommended it as a very efficient and dependable product.
The company gained wide praises for steadily rolling out its Corporate Social Responsibility on different fronts. Many have doffed their hats for the company when they realized that at a time like this when nations are grappling with the contention of taking strides to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the country the indigenous company donated the sum of one billion Leones to the Emergency Response Centre and by extension to the Government and People of Sierra Leone. It is believed that the donation has gone a long way to help offset some of the financial constraints that the response team has to deal with in the fight to contain the spread of the virus nationwide.
It is also on record that the company has been supporting other worthy causes in the country under the same portfolio.
Indisputably, NP-SL Ltd has gained international recognition for establishing its branches in neighboring Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and The Gambia. These branches are operating on the same footing as its parent body in prioritizing the local content policy. They are regularly paying taxes to the host Governments, the proceeds used to fund various development interventions.
Indeed, having made such remarkable achievements over the years which should have relapsed the Shareholders or Management to bask in a cocoon of complacency it has been the contrary. As far as it is known, the Shareholders and Management are all in high gear to continue to inject fine entrepreneurial initiatives that are targeted at catapulting the company to a higher pedestal. Without mincing the truth NP-SL is on the move and is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds.
